A Winnebago County jailer keeps a watch on the inmates inside the A Pod which houses about 23 inmates for medical and preclassification. / Joe Sienkiewicz/Gannett Wisconsin Media

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Your property taxes are spent on police and fire services, education, utilities, public works, parks and recreation, a judicial system, economic development and more, and you deserve to know how that money is used. Each Sunday, The Post-Crescent examines a slice of that spending: where taxes go, what they buy, and, as often as possible, how the spending compares with similar expenditures elsewhere in Wisconsin. If you have a suggestion for our Public Spending Desk, contact Editor/Local Enterprise Andy Thompson at athompson@postcrescent.com or 920-729-6622, ext. 29.

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When inmates can’t keep the doctor away, county jails provide the medical care — and taxpayers pick up the tab.

“If they are currently housed in our jail, we are responsible for their medical expenses,” said Capt. Greg Cianciolo of the Winnebago County Jail.

Those who are incarcerated at county jails receive medical services two ways: They can submit a request to see a nurse, or an officer can ask a nurse to check an inmate.

Work-release inmates typically don’t use a jail’s medical services because they can visit a doctor on their own. The jails don’t cover those expenses.

Fox Valley jails also budget for health care costs that require inmates to make hospital and doctor’s office trips. Each jail bills inmates for these costs, but the bills are rarely paid in full.

“It’s a minimum amount that is actually collected,” said Capt. Dave Kiesner, Outagamie County Jail administrator.

Here some key numbers in providing medical care to people serving jail time.

• $819,000: The amount budgeted in Outagamie County in 2013 for its inmate medical expenses, according to Kiesner. The jail houses 556 inmates at a time. On average, it has 320 locked-up offenders and 41 on work release.

The jail pays Correctional Healthcare $776,559 for 280 hours of medical coverage a week, which includes 24-hour registered nurse coverage, 40 hours for a director of nursing, 56 house of mental health coverage and one hour of physician coverage.

The jail also budgets $42,441 for other medical expenses, including inmate care in a hospital or doctor’s office.

• $663,344: The amount of money budgeted in Winnebago County for inmate medical expenses in 2013. The jail can house 355 inmates at a time and, on average, has 304 inmates daily.

The jail also budgets $72,000 for inmate medical care in a hospital or doctor’s office.

• $47,404: Calumet County’s budgeted amount in 2013 for its inmate medical expenses, said Lt. Mark Wiegert of the county sheriff’s department. The jail can house 54 inmates at a time and averages 49 inmates daily.

The jail pays Correctional Healthcare $45,404 for 14 hours of nursing services a week, two hours of physician services a month and on-call nursing and doctor services.

The jail’s budget includes $2,000 for inmate medical care in a hospital or doctor’s office.